UPHOLSTERY

Sunday, August 7, 2016

This past week I have been meditating in the wonderful things the Lord has done for me and my family. And it's not just the good times that come to mind but also the trials and tribulations that He has guided me through. For it is said that we don't truly learn how to walk in faith unless our faith is tested. It's easy to give praise and glory to the Lord in times of happy circumstances. But the true mature spiritual living is found in the praising of our God during the times of upset, disappointment, and uncertainity. In the times of abstract living where nothing looks as it should; which is truly how the Lord guides my Art Memories. I find a peace that brings me a spiritual joy when I surrender to God's word. It's a joy that is not dependant on circumstances but only on my faith that God is working His best for the children who He loves. I am that child! You are that child! It allows me to tread deeper into the water with Jesus; totally dependent on Him to direct my heart and mind to draw, paint, collage the artwork that will become my Art Memories.

Mini Artwork Mixed Media Collage "Here I AM" size 3x3 inches

This latest mini artwork is titled "Here I AM". It's my artistic response to the meditation of the following scriptures in my current situation of buying a new home (when all houses we view are vacant boxes and what my husband and I are searching for is a HOME). We pray, Lord, bring us HOME. We pray, Lord, let Your presence be found there. We pray, Lord, let it be a blessing to our hearts so we may use it to bless others. This artwork is an abstract storytelling of how the dark gray clouds and crimson red blood waters flowed over Egypt during the days of God's anger towards Pharaoh. For Pharaoh did not honor God's name, the great I AM and hear the words of his servant, Moses.Exodus 9:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."The colors in the background collage painted papers is a remembrance of ancient times when things appeared bleak to the Israelites. Where even Moses doubted if he was the right person for the job. But God answered Moses to remind him and reassure Moses of who it was that Moses served.Exodus 3:14God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."It was by faith that God lead Moses and the Israelites from Eygpt and parted the waters of the Red Sea to bring forth a new joy to His people. For when things appear impossible God does the possible. Psalm 92:4For You have made me rejoice, Lord, by what You have done.The foreground is collaged with painted papers of various shades of green and blue; a tree grows. There is a joyful movement of a winding path set before mountain peaks. The pathway beckons to follow by faith towards living waters yet its end is not in sight. Kind of like our house search. We started in May 2016 and now it's August and with our house (the house we are selling) under contract and our settlement date scheduled for end of September we pray for God to do the possible and lead us HOME (to the house we will buy). In my meditation of the word and through my art practice I become made new and pray my heart's prayer to God with a new found spiritual joy. MY HEART'S PRAYER (This I pray when in doubt and in anixousness)In the stillness, in the quiet, in the surrender of all worldly things I find God. Here I AM...In the present, in the now, in the HERE, the great I AM, my Father God, my Lord, my Rock, my Redeemer takes me by His powerful right hand and guides my pathways. Anxiousness has no power within my heart and mind. For my heart is not consumed with earthly falsehoods. Instead I meditate my mind in quiet contemplation on the words of my God. Exodus 3:14 God replied to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."Psalm 92:4 For You have made me rejoice, Lord, by what You have done.In my Father's hand I am in the Spirit; in power and glory. All wisdom onto my soul is sowed through the grace of the Lord that saves me. My joy is aboundant and my soul's desire to come closer to the Father has come full circle. It is the Alpha and the Omega that I trust my life to. For the seeds He has sown within my heart have developed into the harvest of Love that saves me from the fire of the wicked. In light we travel. My Savior and I. Hand in hand. To where? Heaven only knows but God is my guide. That is enough. My JOY is found in HIM, here I AM.In Jesus name I pray.~Sandra

Friday, January 29, 2016

God has been so good to me. He gave me an art ministry that brings me spiritual freshness.

When I rise in the morning I trust in the Lord who has prepared the day for me. The seeds have been planted and are growing according to the power of the Holy Spirit that guides my pathways. Seeking the will of God as my teacher I surrender to Him and kneel, with folded hands, my eyes on Him only. He is the Savior that I cannot see in flesh but I put my trust in the abstract, the spiritual, and believe He is a living God that desires a personal relationship with me. My prayers are heard in the oneness I experience when I am STILL in the presence of my God.

I have the pleasure to lead an art ministry called DO SOMETHING CLUB it's a free bible/art study club for kids 5-10 years of age. For right now the class in only for kiddos who's parents are enrolled in the adult bible courses lead in our church. We have been meeting for over 2 years and this would be our last year since the parents are due to graduate from their class in Summer of 2016. We have an average of 6 kids that attend. We meet every Saturday from 9-12pm at Restoration In Christ Church (my home church in Mt. Joy, PA). I would like to share the happenings of the month of January 2016.

JANUARY 2016 - FRUIT OF PEACE

Psalm 46:10

Be Still and Know I am GOD.

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Bible Lesson Card (click on image for original site source).

In the month of January 2016 the kids and I have been learning more about what it is to live in PEACE. We have been focused on the FRUIT OF PEACE.

It all begins with Psalm 46:10 Be Still and Know That I am GOD. We have put into practice how to prepare our "wiggly" bodies to be still so we may grow in our conversations with God - Our prayer life. We talked about the word ANXIOUS and how it is an energy within us that alerts our bodies to move, our nervous system to eject motion in our arms to swing, our feet to stomp, sometimes our hands to hit. We call this negative energy - ANXIOUS energy lead by the enemy when we're hurt, mad, or angry. We also spoke about the energy that comes when we're happy, joyful; a positive ANXIOUSNESS. Like a little girl unsure if she will get a birthday party because she's not heard anyone speak of it. Again this energy although we think of it as a positive energy because we are excited about blessings to come; if not lead by God could lead us to outcomes of bursts of uncontrolled actions. Potential actions that could hurt ourselves or others. So we asked the question...What should we do when we feel ANXIOUS?

Our answer in Do Something Club is to allow God to work it out in us through the process of making art. Not just any style of art - Realist style of making art can be judgmental and lead to finger pointing or boasting of our skills. In Do Something Club we turn to the style of Abstract art making because it allows us to leave "the real world behind". It prepares our hearts for the abstract - the unseen,unfamiliar, the unexplainable. We begin to learn to trust God to guide our hands and minds to create art forms lead by spiritual freshness.

Spiritual freshness comes when we are ONE in the Holy Spirit, with God. We take all that energy (ANXIOUSNESS) in our bodies and surrender it to God - first in art making then in prayer. You might ask why not straight to prayer? Why make art first?

It has been my saving grace; my art practice in the last couple of years given to me by God on how to deal with the craziness of the real world. When I would go to God with my real world list of hurt, disappointments, wish list of changes I desired. I found that my conversations with God were shallow. I has structured out the conversation with so much detail on how I wanted things that I did not allow room for God to create the changeshe wanted for me. Thus, I discovered that I was not being STILL for God. My prayer time was there but I was doing all the talking and none of the listening.

My flesh would build up with anxiety and anxiousness of the unknown and then God spoke to me and said BE STILL...to me that came in the form of making ART. This is what God revealed to me and why I teach making art to prepare yourself to create with God. Yes, God wants to have you take action, that's why he CREATED YOU, but he wants to co-create with you; hear your heart's desires and then reveal to you His will for those desires in your life. When I became STILL in my prayer life I discovered it was okay, I was at PEACE to praise God at all times. This is my testimony that I shared with the kids.

I explained the process of making art allows us to use that energy to move our hands/bodies to make artwork that releases our mindset to prepare for a conversation with God. God then has the final say on what path we will take in our faith walk. God will bring us the peace we desire so we can walk in uncertainity and yet still smile, praising God and giving him full control.

Our art inspiration for January is the abstract art by the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. Here is the image that inspired the kid's energy motions in art making. Guided in the art elements of drawing and painting lines, shapes, and basic color theory using primary and secondary colors.

The practice of making art is the process of the Alchemy (transformation) from sin to things Godly. Changing our minds, our hearts; to forgive, forget and move forward with God's WORK. We are His works of art. We trust in God to lead us in faith; by the things we do not see but we hope for - the victory.

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Wife and artist living in Lancaster, PA. This blog is where I share my passion for discovering, exploring, and enjoying the alchemy process of creating art inspired by Ancient Words. God is my creator and I create to glorify his name.